Thank you for contacting me in regard to gun control and the President's recent proposal. It is a privilege to serve you in Congress and I value your input.

On January 17, 2013, the President outlined a broad set of recommendations stemming from the Vice President's Gun Violence Task Force. Throughout my tenure I have been, and will continue to be, a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment and I plan to review all of the President's recommendations thoroughly. I am committed to addressing the root causes of gun violence and finding commonsense and responsible policy solutions without curtailing any of our Second Amendment rights.

Additionally, the Committee on Education and Workforce, of which I am a senior member, has announced that in the coming weeks the Committee will be holding hearings to examine school safety and I am hopeful that we can work together to explore and implement policies that will help to prevent violence in our schools

Every act of gun violence is a tragedy, but the senseless horror of what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary has left us deeply saddened and demanding answers. The myriad of issues involved in man-made tragedies such as this are incredibly complex, and we owe it to ourselves, as a good and decent society, to examine every aspect of the violence epidemic, starting with a thorough dissection of our country's mental health and family services, as well as our current gun laws and problematic issues with their enforcement. Criminals who obtain and use firearms for illegal purposes should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We must be careful, however, not to penalize responsible, law-abiding citizens or infringe upon the sacred civil liberties guaranteed in our Constitution.

In wake of this horrific event as well as the recent tragedies in Aurora, Virginia Tech and Tucson, Americans are ready and willing to engage in a meaningful national conversation to determine what we can do to make our country safer. As we come together to determine real and lasting solutions, it is essential that we focus on what will actually prevent further tragedies and be realistic about what won't. My hope is that we respond to this crisis with steady thoughtfulness, keeping our focus on the memory of the victims and our true desire to never see another tragedy like this again.

For more information on my work in Congress, please sign up for my E-newsletter and text message updates and visit my Web site www.mckeon.house.gov. You can also interact with me on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Thank you again for contacting me; please feel free to continue to inform me of your views on issues important to you.